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Reviews of Destiny Student Cowgate - Campus Accommodation

2 out of 5
Destiny Student Cowgate - Campus Accommodation
Ziggurat, Wellgate House, 200 Cowgate, Edinburgh, Scotland

Reviews

7.0

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 13 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 28 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 26 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 10 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 79 reviews" "

6.8/10

Cleanliness

7.4/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

7.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location, excellent value. Bedsheet smelt of vomit unfortunately
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Destiny Student Cowgate on 28 Aug,2019
Hi there, thanks so much for taking the time to leave us a review!

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Destiny Student Cowgate on 28 Aug,2019
Hi there, Thank you for leaving us a review. We are sorry to hear that your stay with us was not great and hope you enjoyed exploring Edinburgh nevertheless. At Destiny Student, we always strive to improve our service so please do not hesitate to get in touch to let us know what we could do to improve. Sincerely, Rebecca.

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Cowgate Team on 27 Aug,2019
Hi Michael, thanks so much for taking the time to leave us a review!

8/10 Good

Pete

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
If you're here for the Fringe this location is perfect. If you're looking for just a basic, no frills amenities this is the place to be. Seeing as you'll be out at shows, there's no need for anything more. The bedding is notttt going to be a high thread count for their sheets and pillows...but you're not here for that. The kitchen and common space that you only share with a few other rooms, is perfect and was kept clean. However, if you are here for the Fringe....bring a white noise machine to help reduce the street noise...it will not stop until 4 am. Which isn't something you can hold against this place, the location is great and the noise is a compromise you make. The staff here, tried to accommodate my request to move, but ultimately didn't work out. They are the best, and I saw them be so patient with other guests where there was a language barrier.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Destiny Student Cowgate on 28 Aug,2019
Hi Pete, Thank you for reviewing us. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your overall experience with us and that you found our staff to be patient. We really appreciate hearing your observations and will pass them onto our management team. Kind regards, Rebecca.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very central in Old Town and surprisingly quiet. Apartment spacious and kitted out reasonably well. Could have been cleaner - little things like washing up racks etc and missing sink plugs. There was a smell of mould. Staff were pleasant and helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Destiny Student on 22 Aug,2019
Hi there, Thank you for your review. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us and thank you again for your feedback. We will pass this onto our housekeeping team. Happy travels! Rebecca.

8/10 Good

Katie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Sabina on 11 Aug,2019
Hello Katie, Thank you for leaving us some feedback! Hope you enjoyed your stay with us in Edinburgh. Destiny student

10/10 Excellent

Colin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dream's come true.
I have been reading of the Fringe for 30 years, this year I joined a' Rock Choir' and performed there,it was amazing, everything I imagined, I was so pleased with the central position for the accommodation, it was so easy to access all of the entertainment. All of the staff at reception were happy and helpful, I would recommend it to anyone, and I hope to be with you next year.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Daniel on 7 Aug,2019
Hi Colin, thank you very much for leaving us a review. We are glad you ejnoyed your stay with us and hope to see you book with us again. Best wishes, Daniel

4/10 Poor

Dan

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointing
We booked for a trip to the fringe but sadly this place was disappointing, even for a student flat. Positives were the location and proximity to city events as well as the helpfulness of staff however several things in the studio flat we booked were broken, there was nothing more than warm water for the duration of our stay and the bed was terribly uncomfortable. Having not long graduated, I wasn’t expecting the Ritz but it didn’t feel like great value for money when being let out to the public and think I might pay that bit extra next time
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Daniel on 7 Aug,2019
Hi Dan, thank you for taking time to leave a review. We are very sorry to hear that your stay with us was not great. Although we are glad you enjoyed the helpful staff and the convenient location. Best wishes, Daniel

6/10 Okay

Craig

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Cowgate Team on 7 Aug,2019
Hi Craig, Thank you for taking the time to leave us some feedback, we really appreciate it!

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good value in a great location
Good value accommodation right in the heart of the Fringe. My room had a private kitchen, ideal for breakfast and snacks. On the downside, the floor was not too clean, and the pillows were very thin, but overall l was pleased with my choice, and despite warnings to the contrary, it was not noisy at all!
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Anna on 6 Aug,2019
Hi David! We're glad that you enjoyed our location and the kitchen during your stay. On the other side we're sorry to hear that your room wasn't clean enough. We'll pass this information to our houskeeping team for future improvments. Thank you for staying with us and we hope to see you soon. Kindest regards, Anna

10/10 Excellent

jorge

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Exellente ubicacion muy cerca todos lugares de royal mile Ana exelente host te ayuda te hace sentir como casa muchas gracias
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

6/10 Okay

Emma

Student accommodation.
Staff were lovely, central location. Rooms were small with hard beds and noisey to sleep. All in all student accomdation.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Re facilities, this was a competitively priced student hostel very conveniently located in the heart of Edinburgh, with no pretensions to being a hotel. It had all the basics. It was comfortable enough for my one night stay. It was clean, and in itself quiet.What let it down and the reason it gets no more than a 3, was the unfortunate location of my room. Bedroom window overlooked a nightclub. (Noise may have got in through an inaccessible outer window that had been left open).Hardly got a wink of sleep which rather defeated the objective of booking a room. Staff were excellent.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Just what I needed right in the centre.
I wanted a single room, in the centre and reasonably priced and it was all of those. No luxury but for the cost and as somewhere to sleep and leave a bag it was ideal. It was a bit noisy outside but having spent 14 hours going from show to show at the fringe I wasn’t awake long enough to notice!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Keith

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
在愛丁堡難得的便宜住宿，似乎在暑假之外是學生宿舍，因此房間內的設備很簡單只有床、廁所、浴室、書桌、椅子。格局有點類似公寓，所以會有共用的廚房、餐廳以及類似客廳的交誼廳。盥洗用品要去跟櫃台要才有，毛巾則必須用買的。如果有要報名Highland Experience 的旅遊團的話可以跟櫃台要折扣代碼。
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

6/10 Okay

Greg, London

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Cheap student digs
For a cheap one-night stay in the centre of the city (just a stone's throw from the Royal Mile) I can't complain...too much! The room was very basic, but was exactly what I was expecting. Looks like student halls that you can find anywhere in the UK. The room was a tiny bit grubby and could have been cleaner, but overall was fine. I had read in previous reviews before choosing this hotel about noisiness. I'm a fairly heavy sleeper, so this didn't bother me. However when we bunked down for the night, it wasn't the noise of the street we could hear. It was the doors in the student 'flat' in which we were staying. They were so loud when they banged shut. Not anyone's fault per se, the walls were pretty thin (again, unsurprising for anyone that's lived in uni halls before), but probably a concern for anyone that considers themselves a light sleeper (note that ear plugs are provided gratis at the reception). The flat included a communal kitchen, and basic tea/coffee sachets can again be collected for free from reception. Bring your own towels, otherwise you can hire them for £5. Toiletries are not included (apart from toilet roll!). I'd recommend for a short stay in the city centre for a decent price.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

joan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Happy
Great place to stay at. Close to all the things we wanted to do.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

pat

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great experience
Staff were awesome. The hotel was in the spectacular location. Incredibly convenient to all the sites of Edinburg. The bed was not the greatest but we knew in advance that it would be unusually small for white Americans are used to. And The bed was also not very comfortable
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2017

4/10 Poor

Ron, Queensland,Australia.

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A true student experience
If you have forgotten your grotty student life from years ago, this will bring it all back. Tiny room, not very clean, uncomfortably hot, fire doors in the corridor that slam like a thunderclap at all hours of the night. My recommendation -leave it for the students, you can afford better!
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2017
Response from Marco on 1 Aug,2017
Hi Ron, Thank you very much for your review. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed our friendly staff and our central location. Your feedback helps us to improve and we would like to thank you for taking the time to let us know what could be done better. As a result we have improved our cleaning services. Fans are available at reception for the warmer nights. Please don't hesitate to contact us directly at reception to let us know about any issues during your stay so we can take immediate action. We hope to welcome you again soon to show you how we have improved. Best wishes, Marco

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Do not recommend
Room dirty (cracked paint, footprints on the wall, dust), centric location but very noisy at night (clubs/pubs music, thin walls), unprofessional management and staff, overpriced, overall very little value for money.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017
Good day, Thank you very much for taking the time to leave us a review. We are sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your stay with us and we would like to apologise for the issues during your stay. At Destiny Student we always strive to improve and we have used your feedback to implements improvements already. Our central location is loved by many of our guests and there are several of Edinburgh's best pubs and clubs in the surrounding streets. If it should get a bit louder on some nights we are more than happy to look into alternative rooms or hand you out free earplugs as well. Furthermore all of our windows are double glazed to prevent noise from coming in. We hope to welcome you again soon to show you how we have improved. Best wishes, Marco

6/10 Okay

Gail, Surrey

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Fine for a few nights at the fringe
Went for a few days at Edinburgh fringe - great location for many of the venues (and close to the station). Surprisingly quiet at night given its proximity to many bars/pubs. Very basic, but I knew this when I booked, so that was absolutely fine. I was out most of the day, so wasn't there very much.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Joe

Liked: Staff & service
Fair enough
Nothing special but was a clean room to get some rest at the end of a long day. Remember to bring your own towels!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ideal location for the Festival.
In the centre of Old Town and very convenient for the Edinburgh Festival. Good value.

6/10 Okay

Debra, Boston

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Fringe hotel
There were no towels except for sale and it was way too loud due to fringe and bars loudly playing music until 5AM

8/10 Good

Claire, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location, adequate comfort
The accommodation is adequate as you would expect from student halls. Good service at reception, they held our bags before check-in and after check-out (charged £5 for after check-out). NB you will need a towel as not provided. Bed rather small for a double but comfortable. Shower hot and strong. Good reliable wi-fi. Very close to festival venues and good cafes for breakfast (esp The City Cafe on Blair Street is excellent). Teabags and milk would have been nice with the kettle provided.

6/10 Okay

Olga, London

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
It was a nice studio flat if you are going to stay for a couple of days only. The location is right in the middle of old city, so all your pubs, coffee shops, iconic landmarks etc. are within the walking distance. The room itself is nice enough, but could be a bit cleaner. The bed mattress was horrible, it was like sleeping on pinns the whole night where you cant settle down cause you dont know where you gonna get poked next. But if you dont mind that, than the location and price is very good.

8/10 Good

Philip, Wexford

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Location.
I stayed here during the Fringe Festival. Ideally located near all the main Festival locations, around a 10 min walk to Gilded Balloon, Assembly, and Pleasance.

6/10 Okay

Paul

Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
Cheap and cheerful but woefully cramped
We just needed a place to stay during fringe festival, although cheap the beds were tiny and we did not sleep at all. There was no room to get changed, much more suited to someone travelling alone. Though good value for money, a good nights sleep was not had!

6/10 Okay

GaryD, Somerset

Excellent location, good value
Great location in Old Town. Street noise until early hours of the morning but what else do you expect in Old Town during the Fringe. On one night other occupants repeatedly let internal doors slam which was annoying. Walls between adjacent rooms are very thin and you could hear neighbours arguing at one point. Rooms are very small but adequate for 2 adults for a week as you should only be in the room to sleep. Good value for money. Useful kitchen area shared by 6 flats with fridge, cooker and microwave. A nearby convenience store provides supplies of tea/coffee etc. We were provided with labels to mark our items in the fridge. TV and a couple of sofas in the kitchen area. Be aware there is a charge for towels, this was not on my original itinerary but the small print does say that 'the list of additional charges may not be comprehensive and is subject to change. The note about towel charges appeared on my itinerary after I had printed the original. Useful

4/10 Poor

Marina, West of Ireland

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good Location, Poor Experience
This hostel is well located. This is the only advantage of staying here. Reception staff are very young and entirely disinterested in their role, over three days staff were changed constantly but without any discernible change in attitude. Lists of rules on arrival regarding breakages, food in the rooms, visitors etc were unacceptable when the venue was charging well over 100 euro each night. Cheap mattresses, creaky floors, banging doors, extra charges for everything - for example storage of luggage on the day of departure, contributed to the feeling of being fleeced by a greedy landlord.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great location, mediocre everything else.
The best thing about Destiny Student - Cowgate was definitely the location for Fringe. Very central, close to a lot of venues and High Street, and a 10min walk from the train station. The room was... odd. The lights for the entire studio were either all on or all off. Not great for relaxing in bed before falling asleep. There were also no instructions regarding how to turn on the tv (no combination of buttons on the two remotes or the tv itself seemed to do the trick), and the fan above the cooktop didn't work. The pillowcases and duvet on the bed did not look clean when I arrived (hairs and other dirt were visible), and one evening I came home to find a dead mouse on the floor! When I called the front desk (from my cell phone, as the phone on the wall did not seem to work), the person who came up did not seem to know what to do about the mouse. Lastly, the dishes in the cabinet were -mostly-clean, as if someone had done a sort of decent job of hand washing them. Considering there's a dishwasher in the studio I'm surprised the housekeeping staff doesn't do a load between guests. All that being said, the bathroom was clean, the building felt safe, there was inexpensive laundry in the basement, and the location was PERFECT.

6/10 Okay

Orla, Ireland

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Edinburgh accommodation
Great location - in walking distance to both old and new towns. Some hidden extras. Overall good stay

6/10 Okay

Catherine, Kingston

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Student accommodation in a multi-person flat/appar
Wifi did not work at all, noise out of the pub(s) across the street made it seem as if they were in the room with you, until what seemed like 4am. No towels provided, you have to purchase them, was unaware of this beforehand. But, friendly staff, convenient location easily found, close to train, shops & food

8/10 Good

GWENith, Sydney

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location for Monday to Wednesday nights
Cowgate area has very active nightlife so not ideal for older travellers or those doing doing mainly daytime sightseeing - noise from bars and people flowing onto streets does not stop until about 2 am. Location very central so perfect for walking to main sights and catching buses. Room good size for centre of city and great to have access to kitchen and nearby supermarket. Towels not provided so remember to pack your own.

6/10 Okay

Ian, Bangor

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Great value
For the price of the accommodation it was great value. What more do you need for a few days in Edin, clean Bed, warm and cosy, close to the Royal mile

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service
it's alright-but nothing above that

6/10 Okay

Ian, Bangor

Liked: Room comfort
You get what you pay for but great location. The penthouse was a great apartment with all that you really need for a city break. A comfortable bed and a clean bathroom.

4/10 Poor

Cristina, New York

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
OK accommodation, definitely not great
The room was a bit dirty, I noticed hair on the floor, a lot of dust on the curtains, and even hairs on the bedding. It is right next to a few bars so the noise in the evening and night is awful. I kept my windows closed and paid a 20pound deposit for a fan at reception to help with the stuffy room. The lights in the room are very bright, it would have been nicer to be able to turn off a few of them instead of having them all on. We were given 2 very flat pillows (2 people in the room) and asked for more, we were given one more. The bed was comfortable enough to sleep on but you were able to feel the springs. There are no towels, shampoos, or conditioners however you can purchase these at reception, I brought my own. The wifi is split by what floor you stay on, there are 2 options per floor. I had no problem connecting however my friend staying in the same room ended up using the info for the floor above us. There was a shared kitchen which was nice enough, I did not use it much but I did notice the garbage had not been taken out in the 3 days I was there. Overall it was ok to stay for a couple of days but i would not recommend for longer.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Solid hostel
Solid hostel, good neighborhood with great location in the middle of the city. Friendly staff as well. Only complaint is that many of the rooms face a nightclub, which can get pretty loud at night.

2/10 Terrible

Kerstin

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Youqi

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A content experience
這次是與好友們參加愛丁堡國穗節，所以房價偏高，但整體來說，對小資的遊客來說是很滿意的。飯店位於舊城中心，交通方便，生活機能便利，餐廳、商店、便利商店、中心觀光景點都是步行即可到達。服務相當好，需要的盥洗用品設備都可向櫃檯租借拿取。
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Destiny Student Cowgate on 28 Aug,2019
Hi Youqi, Thank you for your feedback. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We look forward to welcoming you again soon. Kindest regards, Rebecca.

8/10 Good

Karina

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Destiny Student on 22 Aug,2019
Hi Karina, Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us and we look forward to welcoming you again soon. Kind regards, Rebecca.

4/10 Poor

wing yan

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Poor experience
We changed the room on the second day. On the first day, the room was larger and more comfortable but the wifi was not working. Onwards from the second day, the living environment was poor as the room was not cleaning well and the bed SHOULD be changed to a new one. The staff were nice though. Strongly not recommend to live here, especially during the festival on August.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Destiny Student on 19 Aug,2019
Hi wing yan on, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that, on this occasion, you did not enjoy your stay with us. We will pass your housekeeping concerns and other highlighted issues to our designated teams for further investigation. As self-catering accommodation, please note we do not offer food at our site. However, feel free to visit our 24-hour reception for recommendations and directions to local restaurants or nearby grocery stores. Once again, we apologise that your room was not to your liking and hope to use your feedback to make necessary improvements. Kind regards, Destiny Student.

6/10 Okay

wing yan

When we arrived, we were informed that we needed to move to another student hall. Although taxi was provided, there were nothing to eat around and we were disappointed.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Fred on 29 Aug,2019
Good morning, We apologies for the inconvenience but we hope that despite it you had a nice time in Edinburgh.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
not worth your money
unfriendly and noisy environment please avoid this hotel
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Rebecca on 2 Aug,2019
Hi there, We are sorry to hear that your stay was disturbed by noise. Due to our central location as well as busy summer season, external noise can be unavoidable at times. However, we do our best to take immediate action at our 24-hour reception to minimise any discomfort and also provide free earplugs. We hope you enjoyed your time exploring Edinburgh and thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. Best wishes, Rebecca.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Muy bien ubicado, a una cuadra de royal m y súper agradable la atención del staff, claro es un lugar sencillo para descansar y tienes que llevar tu toalla y jabón
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Cowgate Team on 26 Jul,2019
Hello Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us your feedback, we really appreciate it. We are so pleased that you loved the location, and had a great experience with our friendly staff! Soap is available at reception, along with shower gel. shampoo etc., and towels can also be hried here for £3. We look forward to having you stay with us again if you ever return to Edinburgh.

8/10 Good

NICOLE

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
La estancia ha sido agradable, la ubicación inmejorable y la atención del personal muy buena. Pero me sorprendió el echo de no disponer de toallas ni de servicio de limpieza. La habitación pequeña, un poco incómoda para dos personas y hacía mucho calor. Pero en general bien.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Cowgate Team on 26 Jul,2019
Hello Nicole, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. We're so pleased that you loved the location and appreciated our great staff! Towels are available for hire from reception, as advertised. We are always trying to make improvements so we really appreciate your feedback.